A slit-based method of a high-current ion beam transversal distribution diagnostic

Abstract

Abstract This article presents the results of experimental studies that are part of the research aimed at the development of a point-like neutron source for fast neutron tomography. In frames of the used approach neutrons are produced in D-D fusion at the deuterium-loaded target bombarded with the focused deuterium ion beam. It was proposed to use a high-current ECR ion source to obtain the ultimate beam intensity at the target and maximize the neutron density yield. An important parameter of the neutron source is the size of the emitting region, which, in turn, is determined by the quality of the ion beam focusing. The presented work is dedicated to the development of the diagnostic system able to measure the ion beam transverse distribution. This system is based on the movable plates with orthogonal slits as an alternative to previously used scintillator-based method. The proposed system allows to determine the high-current deuterium ion beam size with an accuracy higher than 1 mm. This work presents verification of the previously obtained results of the high current focused deuterium ion beam formation by means of a slit-based method reliable in measuring beams of high intensity.